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The kings and queens of modern monarchies

( Updated: 12/15/2014 )

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Spain's new King, Felipe VI; his wife Queen Letizia; Princess Sofia; and Princess Leonor (l.) appear on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Madrid, on June 2014. Felipe VI, was sworn in during a low-key ceremony which monarchists hope will usher in a new era of popularity for the troubled royal household. Andrea Comas/Reuters

Dutch King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima, arrive at the Nieuwe Kerk or New Church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, prior to the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander, on April 2013. Carl Court/AP

Belgium's King Albert II (r.) speaks with Queen Paola as they sit on a bench on the grounds of the Royal Palace in Laeken, Belgium, on Sept. 2012. Belgian King Albert unexpectedly announced in a national TV address on July 2013, that he would step down in the near future. Virginia Mayo/AP

Belgium's Crown Princess Mathilde and Crown Prince Philippe watch the traditional military parade on National Day in front of the Royal Palace in Brussels, on July 2012. Philippe became king in 2013. Yves Herman/Reuters

Swaziland's King Mswati III (c.) and Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini (l.) attend the annual reed dance in Ludzidzini, Swaziland, in 2005, where young girls perform a dance after days of gathering reeds to present to the king. The annual reed dance gives Mr. Mswati the opportunity to choose another wife should he so wish. Siphiwe Sibeko/AP

Jordan's King Abdullah II meets President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 2014. Abdullah became king on 7 February 1999, upon the death of his father King Hussein. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Britain's Queen Elizabeth views the interior of the refurbished East Wing of Somerset House at King's College in London on Feb. 2012. The Queen celebrated her sixtieth anniversary as Regent in 2012. Eddie Mulholland/Reuters

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrive at Metropolitan Museum of Art to attend the St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner in New York, on Dec. 2014. Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Reuters

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world’s richest and longest reigning monarch. He is also known as Rama IX, as he is the ninth monarch of the Chakri Dynasty. He became king in 1946. Sukree Sukplang /Reuters

Emperor Akihito (l.) and Empress Michiko make a public appearance as well-wishers wave Japanese flags during New Year celebrations at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in 2011. In Japan, monarchy is traditional, ceremonial, and without a hint of actual governing power. Issei Kato/Reuters

Japan's Prince Akishino (2nd l.) and his wife Princess Kiko (l.) look at pine cones with their children Princess Kako and Prince Hisahito at the Akasaka imperial estate in Tokyo on Nov. 2014. Akishino is the second son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Imperial Household Agency of Japan/Reuters

The Swedish Royal family (l.-r.) Prince Daniel, Chris O'Neill, Princess Estelle, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Madeleine, King Carl Gustaf, Prince Carl Philip, and Queen Silvia pose for a family photo during the Swedish National Day celebrations at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, on June 2013. Maja Suslin/Scanpix/Reuters

Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, arriving at the King's dinner for the Nobel Laureates at the Royal Palace in Stockholm in December, are among the remnants of European monarchy. Across Europe, monarchies became casualties of World War I, swept away as a new political order was fashioned from the continent’s killing fields. AP

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni greets officials on the first day of the annual water festival along the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh on Nov. 2010. Chor Sokunthea/Reuters

The world’s most potent monarchy, the House of Saud, presides over vast oil reserves as well as Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz, (l.) and his family are absolute rulers. Here he speaks with his brother Prince Salman bin Abdel Aziz (r.) AP/File

Malaysian King Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah (l.), delivers the opening speech as Queen Haminah Hamidun listens during the opening of a parliament session at the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2012. Lai Seng Sin/AP/File

Morocco's King Mohammed VI (r.) is flanked by his brother prince Moulay Rachid, and Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (l.), as they review the royal guard at Rabat airport in 2012. Azzouz Boukallouch/Moroccan Royal Palace/AP/File

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A teenage boy who posted a video online of himself criticizing Singapore's founding father and disparaging Christianity, shortly after the leader's death last week, has been arrested for 'threaten[ing] religious harmony' in the tightly censored country.

BySaeed Azhar, ReutersMarch 30, 2015

AFP

A Singapore teenager, who criticized Lee Kuan Yew on social media soon after the former leader's death, has been arrested and will be charged with making "insensitive and disparaging" comments about Christians, police said on Tuesday.